This invention relates to a pacifier, and more particularly to a pacifier for use especially by premature or ill infants who are normally under intensive or other special care in a hospital. Such infants need among other things, food, ventilation and oral stimulation.
For purposes of supplying food continuously and to provide breathing air to the infant, supply tubes are often inserted into the infant's mouth and passed downwardly into the infant's body. For purposes of supplying oral stimulation, pacifiers are used.
Heretofore, a number of different pacifier types have been used. One such type has merely been the usual round bottle cap and perforated nipple, with a backing put on to prevent the infant front sucking air through the nipple. This first type has the advantage of being pre-sterilized when it comes from the manufacturer. A second type has included a special curved base with a non-perforated nipple attached thereto, with the base having a plurality of ventilation holes therein which are disposed inwardly of the base edges and which are disposed about the baby's mouth to aerate the skin and prevent chapping. This second type is not normally supplied in pre-sterilized condition. Additional types of pacifiers are disclosed in the above-identified patents.
It is highly desirable for the infant to be able to have the therapeutic advantages of a pacifier while the infant is being intubated (supplied with food and air via tubes through the mouth). Thus, attempts have been made to use the known pacifiers at the same time that the tubes extend into the infant's mouth. However, problems have arisen with such attempts. As to the above-mentioned bottle cap and nipple type of pacifier, if the pacifier is used at the same time as the tubes, the tubes must pass around behind the outside edge of the cap. If the infant moves or pulls on the pacifier, the supply tubes may tend to be pulled all or partway out of the infant's mouth. As to the above-mentioned second pacifier type, the same thing could occur if the tubes were passed around behind the edge of the base. With this second type, it might be possible to pass one or more tubes through the ventilation holes in the base and into the infant's mouth, but the same problem would occur, and difficulties could arise in threading the tubes through the holes. These pacifiers could also cause problems if the infant somehow otherwise rejects the pacifier, or spits up. Furthermore, if the infant pulls on the tubes, the pacifier can be very easily knocked out of the infant's mouth.
It is an object of the invention to provide a pacifier for infants, and especially for neonate (premature) or ill infants, that can be used at the same time as supply or fluid withdrawl tubes and which will not be subject to the aforementioned diadvantages. It is a further object to provide such a pacifier that can be used in conjunction with tubes of different sizes, and still essentially eliminate the difficulties mentioned above. It is yet another object to provide a pacifier which can be easily pre-sterilized in manufacture, and which prevents chapping of the skin around the infant's mouth.
In accordance with the various aspects of the invention, a pacifier is constructed with a relatively thin generally curved base for conforming to the contour of the infant's face in its mouth and surrounding skin areas. A nipple is suitably attached generally centrally of the base. The base is provided with one or more slots extending inwardly from the base edge, with the slots forming tube receiving recesses which may hold one or more feeding and ventilation supply tubes of different sizes. The slots may be substantially larger than a tube passing therethrough, to thus provide a spitup bypass. The pacifier is freely releasable from the tubes and will fall away therefrom if the pacifier and/or tubes are disturbed.